Aristophanes

In the Aristophanes’ play Lysistrata, is satire that not only links sex and politics in ancient Greece, but also shows the faults of the Athenian democracy and the relationship between men and women. In straight forward terms the play Lysistrata shows the struggle to come to a solution to ultimately end the disastrous Peloponnesian War. More Specifically the need to understand why the women were so essential to end the Peloponnesian War is vital in the play. Thus, the author constructs a vision…

Question 2 Since the beginning of philosophy love has been the subject of many pieces of writing. Thomas Merton’s Love and Need, Plato’s Symposium, and Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit, include thoughts on pivotal ideas regarding love. Some of the thoughts described in these pieces are common among the three, however each piece presents a unique idea not common to the other. Thomas Merton’s Love and Need begins with a criticism of the term “falling in love”. He says that this expression implies a…

philosophy with high reputations, such as sophists, were false philosophers. Aristophanes describes the fame that Strepsiades would receive if mastering sophistry, “Your life shall be the envy of all mankind.” and “before long thousands of clients will stampede to your doors, begging, pleading, imploring your service and advice in all their lawsuits––many involving incredible sums.” (The Clouds, p40) Both Plato and Aristophanes agree that sophistry will bring fame and money, but neither confirm…

Aristophanes’ was a bold and a strong, sexual, and very opinionated man which he had reflected in his comedy play, “Lysistrata”. This comedy was quite the hit with many Athenian men for the simple fact that Lysistrata is a woman who was able to annihilate the Peloponnesian War with the help of women from different city-states, including Sparta. The Peloponnesian War that was between Athens and Sparta had begun over jealousy of each other’s power in Greece and had lasted from 431 to 404 BC.…

war, as a women, is unorthodox to say the least. A mother’s opposition to war is echoed by both Lysistrata and Mother Courage. Lysistrata proclaims, “We’ve given you sons, and then had to send them off to fight.” A rational appeal to her cause (Aristophanes 164). Mother Courage re-iterates the point when she says, “A soldier’s life is not for sons of mine!” However, Brecht’s use of Mother courage is different than that of Lysistrata (Brecht 28). Mother Courage being a woman is not so much as to…

exaggerations of the plot to point up the absurdity of their real life counterparts. Old Comedy emphasized the pleasures of eating, drinking, sex, wealth and leisure, all things that characterized Greek virtue (Brockett 16). Old Comedy was shaped mainly by Aristophanes, a comic playwright, who wrote during the Peloponnesian War. The reality of the war between Athens and Sparta and the war-peace idea was a prominent topic in his comedies. Aristophanic comedy included a prologue that establishes…

practice of sodomy. These actions only served as a characteristic in religious settings. The practices were not specific to one class or family. Instead, the idea of a sexual identity was more correlated with one’s religious identity. In contrast, Aristophanes theory of the origin of love plays greatly into the idea of sexual identities that people are both with and from that identity, they are given specific sexual desires that lead to proper sexual practices. Overall, it is nearly impossible…

Communication is a fundamental building block in the foundation of any civilization. Discourse, speeches, and, written word are among the outlets used to convey ideals and messages that shape a community. Over time, leaders of such societies developed an understanding of the power of word and its ability to enhance its culture and people. Today, rhetoric is known as “the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing” (Merriam-Webster). The dictionary gives an easily comprehended definition…

I do not find the argument in The Clouds persuasive for a number of reasons. One thing that has to be understood in regards to The Clouds is the person who wrote the play. Who actually was Aristophanes and how did he feel about Socrates and his opinions as a whole. From reading the play this is not something that we actually learn about, therefore it leaves the reader to wonder whether any biased opinions were involved when writing the play. Even though Socrates himself did not write the Apology…

his second interjection of medical advice. Aristophanes asks him to both stop his hiccupping and to take his place in the speech-giving, to which Eryximachus responds “ἀλλὰ ποιήσω ἀμφότερα ταῦτα” (Pl. Sym. 185d). Here, Eryximachus uses the particle ἀλλά, which is a stronger and more precise particle than the weaker δέ, to connect the sentences and introduce his thought (Smyth 2775) (Smyth 2834). In this case, ἀλλά works to correct and affirm Aristophanes’ previous questions and suggestions…